Latch and striker construction



March 23, 1937.

s. BRANTINGSO'N LATCH AND STRIKER CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 8, 1934 sof 266 306 Patented Mar. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Sigurd Brantingson, Palisades Park, N. J., as-

signor to Francis Keil & Son, Inc., a corporation of New York Application December 8, 1934, Serial No. 756,625

11 Claims.

This invention relates to latch construction, more particularly to latch construction of the type that is employed, for example, in connec tion with refrigerator doors.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and durable latch construction, capable of rapid manufacture and assembly and capable of efcient and reliable action in practical use, Another object is to provide a latch construction that will be well adapted to meet the varying conditions met with in practice. Another object is to provide a latch construction that may be quickly and easily installed and with like facility adjusted or set to meet any particular requirement of practice. Another object is to provide a latch and keeper construction that will be fool-proof and that may be easily locked against unauthorized manipulation. Another object is to provide a keeper construction that will be strong, of wide adaptability, of ease and speed of adjustment, and that will also be neat in appearance. be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consistsA in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown a preferred embodiment cf my invention,

Figure 1 is a plan View of the latch and striker construction shown in locked position;

Figure 2 is a horizontal central sectional View as seen along the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view oi the striker construction as seen from the right in Figure 1 or Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view as seen along the line lI-II of Figure 3.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawmg.

Referring now more particularly to Figures l and 2, it is there shown or indicated a door I0 mounted in any suitable manner (not shown) to swing toward or away from any suitable doo-r jamb or frame, the latter being generally indicated at I I, and taking any suitable or appropriate' form. Usually, particularly in refrigerator structures, the door It! is provided with a marginal or peripheral extending flange or overlap Illa, and frequently there is interposed between 55 the frame II of the overlap IOa of the door IIJ a Other objects will yieldable, usually rubber, gasket (not shown). In

practice, therefore, the outer faces IIJb and IIb of the door I0 and door frame I I, respectively, are thus displaced from one another or offset, and,

depending upon various factors, theamount or degree of offset varies and sometimes this variation is throughout a relatively wide range. To meet such varying practical conditions in a practical, inexpensive and dependable manner is one of the dominant aims of this invention.

Accordingly, I provide a latch structure to be mounted on the face Ib of the door I0, and that structure may include a casing I2 provided with flanges I3 and I4 adjacent its base portion and adapted to rest against the face IIlb of the door I0, flanges I3--I4 being approximately apertured to receive screws or bolts I5 to secure the casing I2 of the latch structure to the door IU.

The casing I2 has front and rear end walls I--I'L the latter being provided with an aperture I'Ia in order slidably to receiveand support therein the shank I 8a of a latch bolt generally indicated at I8, its forward or left-hand portion Ib being rectangular or square in cross section and extending through and slidably received in a similarly shaped aperture Ia in the front end wall I6 of the casing I2.

The bolt I8 is thus mounted and guided for movement in the direction of its longitudinal axis, as seen in Figure 2, and is spring pressed toward and held in extended or projected position (the position shown in Figure 2) by a coiled or helical spring I9 that extends about its shank I8a, and has one end abutting against the rear end wall I1 of casing I2 and its other end abutting against the enlarged or squared portion I8b of the bolt I8. The portion Ib of bolt I8 is recessed, as at I8c, to accommodate the downwardly projecting end or arm 20a of a lever or handle 20 pivoted on a stud or pin 2l that is bridged across two laterally spaced ears 22 and 23 (Figure 1) in the upper part of the casing I2, the upper wall of the latter having a suitable opening through which the lever 20 and its arm 20a project downwardly and into the casing I2 vand into the recess Isc of the bolt I8. A forward portion of the lever 2U is provided with a shoulder 201) that abuts against the left-hand portion of the top wall of the casing I2, and thus limits the extent to which the spring I9 projects the latch bolt I8 to the left or outwardly of the casing I2.

The outermost or left-hand portion of the bolt I8 (Figures 1 and 2) is bifurcated to provide two arms iSd and IBe between which is accommodated a roller 24, the latter being rotatably supported upon a pin or stud 25, which in turn is supported on its opposite ends by and xed to the arms I8d and I8e of the bolt I8. The left-hand end of bolt I8 is adapted to coact with a keeper structure secured to the face IIby of the frame or door jamb or related wall, and the. keeper structure includes a hollow or cylinder-like support 26 upstanding from a base plate or laterally extending flanges 21, the latter being properly 10 apertured to receive bolts or screws 28 for securing the structure to the wall frame or member II.

The part 26 is bored out as at 26a to give it interiorly a cylindrical surface and thus slidably but snugly to receive a cylindrical stud or arm 29 across the upper end of which extends the arm-like portion 30a of a keeper member 3U, whose effective keeper-acting portion 38h extends downwardly from the horizontal arm portion 38a 29 thereof and hence parallel to the stud member 29 but exteriorly of the hollow support 26, parts 29 and 3l) forming in effect an inverted U-shaped member each, however, coacting with the support 26. Any suitable means may be employed for 25 securing the member 29 and the member 38 rigid together, and a suitable connection is in dicated generally at 3l in Figure 2.

The support 26 may be externally of any suitable shape when viewed in horizontal cross-sec- 30 tion, but preferably it is substantially square or rectangular, as will be seen from Figure 4, thereby providing a vertically extending wall 2619- along the external face of which the left-hand face, as viewed in Figure 2, of the keeper portion 39h extends. Preferably these two portions 26h and 30h are intertted for dependably sliding engagement therebetween, and illustratively, such an intertting may be achieved by providing in the outer vertical face of the wall 2Gb a vertically 40 extending slot 26o and by providing the inner face (the left-hand face as viewed in Figure 2) of the depending keeper portion 30o with a vertically extending rib 30o snugly interfitted with the vertical slot or groove 26e.

40 Accordingly, the two vertical arms of the inverted U-shaped structure 29-30 are slidably intertted with the supporting member 26, the one arm, namely the cylindrical stud 29, coacting with appropriately shaped surfaces upon the interior of the member 26 and the other arm,

namely the depending external portion 30h coacting externally with appropriate guideways upon the exterior of the member 26.

The keeper portion 39h is also shaped to coact with the latch bolt I8; it has an inclined face or surface 30d along which the roller 24 of the bolt I8 engages and rolls as the door I0 is swung shut, thereby achieving a retraction of the bolt I8 into the casing I2 and a compression of the spring I9.

At the lower end or lower termination of the cam face 30d, the keeper portion 30h is shaped as better shown in Figure 2 at 30e, being formed or cut away to permit the forward end of the bolt I 8, and particularly to permit the roller 24 thereof under the urge of the spring I9, to be projected in back of or in under the shoulder 30j, and thereby hold the door I 9 against opening movement.

Preferably the curvature of the surface 30e that is engaged by the roller 24 does not mate with the curvature of the roller 24 itself but is shaped, as appears from Figure 2, to effect a cam action whereby, under the. urge of the bolt I8 in a direction toward the left as viewed in Figure 2,

the reaction between the cam 4surface and the roller 24 is such as to more tightly force and hold the door I0 in closing position.

In order to adapt the mechanism for different degrees of offsets between the faces or surfaces I 0b and IIb as Well as to make certain that, for any given offset, the above described wedging action of the bolt or roller with the cam face 30a may be dependably achieved, the. position of the keeper member 3D, and hence of the shoulder or nosing 30] thereof, with respect to the wall surface IIb, may be set or fixed as may be desired. The above described coacting guiding parts and surfaces of the parts 26-29 and 30h-26h permit the keeper 30 to be moved or slid, relative to the support 26, into whatever position is desired.

That having been done, a clamping screw 3| (Figures l and 2) threaded into an ear-like portion 26d of a side wall of member 26 and rotatable in a companion ear-like portion 26e of the member 25. may be driven home or tightened up, thereby causing the member 26 tightly and securely to grip the cylindrical studlike member 29 and hold it in fixed position, a slit 26f (Figures l, 2 and 4) being provided in a wall of the member 26 and between the ear portions 26d and 26e.

rlIhe bottom wall of the vertical slot 26o may be and preferably is transversely ribbed, as at 26g (Figures 2 an-d 3) in order to provide dependable recesses between ridges thereof for coaction with the tapered or pointed end of a screw 32; screw 32 is threaded into and through the lowermost end part of the keeper portion 39o and its head is preferably countersunk into the portion 30h, being, by this arrangement and relation of the parts, positioned opposite the outermost end of the bolt I8 (see Figure 2) and thereby to be covered and made inaccessible by that end of the bolt.

The bolt I8 (see Figure 2) is provided with a hole IBf extending transversely therethrough and so positioned that, when the bolt is in projected position and with its outermost end covering the screw 32, the hole I 8f is exposed.

out of the casing I2 and is thus available for the reception of the U-shaped part 33 of a pad lock 34. Accordingly, when the padlock 33-34 is locked to the bolt I8, the withdrawal of the latter into the casing I2 (Figure 2) is precluded,

as is also access to screw 32. Screw 32 effectively clamps or locks the keeper parts 29-30 against movement relative to the support 26,

and thus unauthorized opening of the door I8 is dependably precluded.

Should any particular installation require that I the spacing of the keeper member 30 from the wall face IIb be other than that illustratively shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, screws 3I and 32 are loosened up and the part 29-30 shifted or moved relative to its support 26 into whatever position may be necessary, whereupon the screws 3| and 32 may be driven home or tightened up and the part 30 thus dependably held in its intended position.

The parts 29 and 30h are of adequate length to give a wide range of change of position of the keeper member 30 relative to the support 26. For example, as appears better from Figure 2, these virtually integral parts may be raised considerably beyond the position shown while still maintaining the part 29 in position to be clamped by the parts controlled by the clamping screw 3| and while still maintaining the vertical and depending part of the keeper CII portion h, with its screw 32, in coacting relation to the vertical side wall 2Gb- (see also Figure 4). Likewise, these parts 29' and '36h may beA moved or positioned downwardly to a considerable extent beyond that shown in Figure 2, it being noted that the base portion or base plate 21 may berecessed as at 21a (Figure 2) in its upper face to receive the lower end o f the keeper portion 30h, while the member 29, in such case, may be caused to enter a suitable hole (not shown) that may be drilled or bored into the wall Il.

However. to avoid the need of drilling or boring such a hole, as well as to achieve other advantages, I prefer to construct the lower 'end portion 29 in such a manner that its length may be varied at will. Illustratively, and again reierring to Figure 2, I providein the lower end of member 29 a plurality, illustratively two, of peripheral grooves or slits 29a, 29h spaced at suitable intervals from the lower end of member 29. These grooves or slits may be formed by casting or by turning or in any other suitable manner.

Accordingly, if the parts 29-30 have to be set or adjusted in a downward direction, as view in Figure 2, to such an extent as might cause the lower end of member 29 to project through they hole 2lb in the base plate 2T and thus to collide with the Wall Il, a suitable number of sections 2te. 29d, etc., that are formed in the above-mentioned peripheral grooves, are broken oii or cutV off as by hack saw or a pair of pliers or the likeypthereby to maintain the resilient lower end of the member 29 wholly within the support 2li-21 and thereby avoid the necessity of drilling or boring a hole in the wall II.

It will thus be seen that the construction is of wide adaptability and flexibility and that it may easily and speedily be made to suit any particular conditions met with in practical use. Moreover, it will be seen that the construction is of inexpensive manufacture, capablel of speedy fabrication and assemblv of its parts, and is of rugged and durable construction. Moreover, the parts are made to coact dependably and reliably; for example, though the keeper member 30 overhangs an outer vertical wall of the hollow or cylindrical support 2E, the screw 32 gives the lower end of the keeper portion 30h a rigid and strong support from the support 26 itself, thus assuring that the keeper member 30 and its related parts, particularly when the door lil is slammed shut and the cam portion 30d struck by the bolt, can dependably take up and transmit to the support per se the forces resulting from such a blow or such action.

Accordingly, it will be seen that there has been provided in this invention a coacting latch and keeper construction in which the various objects above mentioned, together with many thoroughly practical advantages, are successfully achieved, and it will be seen that the construction is well adapted to meet the widely varying conditions of hard, practical use.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention, and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth, or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. In construction of the character described,

in combination, a supporting bracket having a base portion adapted to rest against a wall and having a sleeve-like support extending away from said base portion, an external wall of said sleevelike support having formed therein guiding means extending substantially parallel to the channel within said sleeve-like support, a keeper structure having a part that extends and is fitted into and is slidably guided by the channel within said sleeve-like support and a part rigid with said rst-mentioned part and that extends externally of the latter and is slidably guided by said external guiding means, the interengagement between said two parts and said external guiding means A preventing relative rotary movement therebetween, and means coacting betweenone of said keeper parts and said sleeve-like support for securing them together and against relative longitudinal movement therebetween.

2. In construction of the character described, in combination, a supporting bracket having a base portion adapted to rest against a wall and having a sleeve-like support extending away from said base portion, an external wall of said sleevelike support having formed therein guiding means extending substantially parallel to the channel within said sleeve-like support, the channel within said sleeve-like support being cylindrical and said guiding means being in the form substantially of longitudinally extending ways, a keeper having a cylindrical post-like part slidably interiitted with said cylindrical channel in the sleevelike support and having an'external part shaped to intert with said ways, and means operable at will for effecting a frictional gripping of said post-like part in said sleeve-like support.

3. In construction of the character described, in combination, a supporting bracket having a base portion adapted to rest against a wall and having a sleeve-like support extending away from and at Substantially right angles to said base portion, whereby said bracket may be secured to a wall and said sleeve-like support is held at right angles to said wall, an external wall of said sleevelike support having formed therein guiding means extending substantially parallel to the channel within said sleeve-like support, and a keeper structure shaped in general like an inverted U, one arm of which extends within and is telescopically related to said sleeve-like support and the other arm of which is rigid with said first-mentioned arm and extends externally thereof and is provided with means for coacting with the guiding means in said external wall, said two arms being provided with means rigidly and nonrotatably interconnecting them thereby to form said keeper structure.

4. A construction as claimed in claim 3, in which there are provided means coacting with each of the arms of said inverted U-shaped keeper structure for holding it against movement relative to said supporting bracket.

5. A construction as claimed in claim 3, in which the arm that extends externally of said sleeve-like support has a part near its lower end acting as a keeper per se for coaction with a bolt and is provided with means positioned substantially underneath said keeper per se and thereby made inaccessible when the bolt is in engagement with said keeper per se for locking said inverted U-shaped keeper structure against movement relative to said supporting bracket.

6. A construction like that claimed in claim 3, in which the external guiding means has a portion that is cross-ribbed and in which the external arm of said inverted U-shaped keeper structure is provided with means coacting with said cross-ribbed portions for securing said keeper structure against movement relative to said supporting bracket.

7. In construction of the character described, in combination, a supporting bracket having a base portion adapted to rest against a wall and having a sleeve-like support extending away from said base portion, whereby said bracket may be secured to said wall and said sleeve-like support extends away from the latter, a keeper structure shaped in general like an inverted U, one arm of which extends within and is telescopically related to said sleeve-like support and the other arm of which is rigid with said rst-nentioned arm and extends externally thereof and adjacent an outer wall of said sleeveelike support, said other arm having a keeper portion projecting laterally therefrom for interaction with a bolt, means accessible when said bracket is secured to a wall for anchoring said keeper structure to said bracket, and means interposed underneath said keeper portion and juxtaposed to the end of the bolt when interengaged with said keeper portion and covered over by said bolt and thereby made inaccessible, for anchoring said keeper structure to said bracket, thereby to prevent removal of said keeper structure even though said first-mentioned anchoring means is operated.

8. In construction of the character described, in combination, a supporting bracket having a base portion adapted to rest against a wall, said bracket having a substantially cylindrical guiding channel extending therethrough and also through said base portion, a keeper member, a cylindrical post slidably received in and intertted with said keeper member, the end of said post nearest said base Vportion being integral throughout and having a plurality of transverse slits spaced longitudinally thereof, whereby said post may be shortened by severing it at any of said slits for thereby bringing said keeper member nearer to said base portion, there being a slot in the cylindrical wall of said guiding channel and extending lengthwise thereof, and means for preventing relative movement comprising means for clamping the cylindrical keeper post and those parts of the latter that intervene said transverse slits between the wall portions of said channel that are on opposite sides of said slot, whereby said bracket reinforces and strengthens the slit portion of said keeper post.

9. In construction of the character described, in combination, a supporting bracket adapted to be secured to a door frame or the like in juxtaposition to a bolt and bolt-mounting means related to a door, a support in the form of substantially an inverted U having its two depending arms rigidly interconnected whereby said support and its parts have to move as a unit, said supporting bracket having channel means for receiving at least one of the arms of said U- shaped support and for slidably guiding said one arm and hence said support as a unit in a direction toward or away from said door frame, the plane of said two arms extending in a direction toward the door, said support having a keeper member related to that arm thereof that extends nearest the door for receiving the bolt of said bolt-mounting means, and means for securing said keeper support to said supporting bracket in whatever position that said one arm and hence said support is adjusted to said supporting bracket.

l0. A construction as claimed in claim 9 in which said supporting bracket is provided with channel means for receiving the other arm of said inverted U-shaped support, said channel means being shaped to expose the keeper member carried by said other arm.

1l, A construction as claimed in claim 9 in which the channel means in said supporting bracket is cylindrical and in which the arm of said support received therein is also cylindrical,

Vsaid supporting bracket having additional channel means for receiving the other arm of said support and for thereby preventing swinging of the latter about the axis of said cylindrical channel means and out of said plane.

SIGURD BRANTINGSON. 

